


stars, hide your fires

by tkreyesevandiaz



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Buck has hidden talents, Buck's POV, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hidden Talents, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I don't know how to tag this, Inspired by Macbeth, M/M, Macbeth - Freeform, Mild canon divergence, Near Future, Not Beta Read, Original Character(s), References to Hamlet, References to Macbeth, Slight OOC, The Crossover We All Needed, Theatre, Theatre competitions, We know East High is the best, established relationships - Freeform, primarily 9-1-1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkreyesevandiaz/pseuds/tkreyesevandiaz
Summary: There was a certain amount of dramatic flair that clung to the walls of a theatre that brought him back to another time. It instantly calmed him, strangely enough, to walk onto a stage usually marred with chalk mark-ups.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 16
Kudos: 97





	stars, hide your fires

**Author's Note:**

> This is officially my 15th fic and 13th fic in the 9-1-1 universe! I'm excited for this one! 
> 
> The title is from Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4 <3
> 
> This came to me after I watched Macbeth at my university's studio theatre, and all I could see was Oliver as Macbeth, because Oliver has done French theatre!
> 
> You don't need to be an HSMTMTS fan to read this, but it certainly helps with all the characters. If you don't know about the series (it's on Disney Plus and it's amazing), you can pretend they're just a group of theatre kids xD
> 
> Also, I have included tidbits from Shakespeare's Macbeth in the fic, which many of you may be familiar with! I hope those that aren't familiar with the play also understand this! Enjoy!

If Buck was honest with himself, calls that came from theatres were usually the most memorable ones.

Not always in bad terms; thankfully, mostly never in bad terms. A lot of the time it was just someone who’d over-exaggerated the actual issue in their panic. Rarely, a few of the sets had fallen down and blocked a few performers into a tight space they couldn’t kick their way out of. And then there was that one wardrobe malfunction a few months ago too.

But there was a certain amount of dramatic flair that clung to the walls of a theatre that brought him back to another time. It instantly calmed him, strangely enough, to walk onto a stage usually marred with chalk mark-ups. Even if he really was just carrying firefighters’ equipment from stage right to stage left. 

They were on their way back to the station after a call when another one came in. This time, the call came from one of the abandoned theatres near the suburbs. 

“What are people doing there anyway? That place has been abandoned for years,” Chimney asked as the 118’s firetruck changed its course and sped down the roads. Bobby’s voice crackled over their headphones.

“It’s still abandoned, but dispatch said a school is rehearsing something for a theatre competition.”

“What competition?” Eddie looked confused.

“There’s a performing arts competition every year with some of the top drama teams from high schools in the United States, and this year it’s in Los Angeles,” Buck answered immediately, knowing this information like the back of his hand. He went to drama competitions every year, because he used to participate in them too. 

It had been one of the best parts of his childhood. Maddie used to show up to every single one of his productions, before everything with Doug got the better of her. His parents hadn’t approved of the hobby, but seeing how distant they had been, Buck didn’t really give it a second thought. His sister had been there for him, and that had always been enough.

“How do you even know that?” Chimney asked. Buck shrugged but didn’t say anything, deeming that answer enough.

“What are we looking at, Cap?” Hen asked.

“One of the actors got stuck in a prop, and they can’t get him out. The kid’s around 17 years old.” Bobby gave the rundown. It seemed like this one was going to be a quick in-and-out call.

They pulled up into the building and geared up. As they stepped together into the auditorium, Buck brought up the rear to spend a few minutes just looking around.

The dramatic flair in the room had cobwebs; much like pretty much everything else in the theatre. Some of the chairs were missing cushions while some cushions were torn, as if an animal had chewed through them.

“Is it even safe for kids to be in here?” Hen muttered, wrinkling up her nose at the faint acrid stench of mold.

“A relative of one of the students owns this theatre, and they’re just using it as a place to rehearse uninterrupted,” Bobby informed them as they walked further in, the sounds of chaos guiding them. “LAFD!” 

The response to his call was a harried student who had her curly hair bound with a pencil. Her face was worried as she gestured wildly backstage to where rushed chatters and panicked squeals sounded about. “He’s stuck in there!” 

Buck turned his mind’s focus to the kid that was currently stuck...in a tube?

A blond teenager was stuck in a large roll of plastic, one of his arms outside the tube but the other was trapped inside. His face was tight with pain but otherwise he looked pretty unharmed. 

Everyone else around him, though…

They looked absolutely freaked out. There was a woman kneeling next to him, her eyes focused on her student as she talked to him gently; the tremors that shook her pen in her death grip told volumes about her faux composure.

Right at her shoulder, a Mexican teen with clear-rimmed glasses was sitting next to the kid’s head, fretting over the stuck teenager.

“Alright, clear a path,” Chimney commanded, causing the students to scatter to the sides immediately. The teacher’s head shot up as relief washed over her.

“Oh thank goodness you’re here.” She looked vaguely familiar to Buck, but for the love of everything, he couldn’t place her.

“Let’s not panic, everything is going to be fine. It’s an easy fix,” Hen said calmly, trying to ease the theatre kids. “How about you tell us your names while we work?”

Buck set the toolbox down, vaguely paying attention to the conversation as he surveyed the situation.

“I’m Gina,” a curly-haired girl spoke, her arms tightly folded across her chest as she cocked her chin towards the kid in the tube. “That’s Seb.”

“Hi, I’m Nini.”

“Ricky.” Seeing how Nini and Ricky’s hands were tightly clasped together, it wasn’t too far of a shot to guess that they were dating. Buck and Eddie exchanged a quick look as they shared the same thought; high school relationships were honestly some of the purest there were. Even if it didn’t work out, you never really forgot your high school sweetheart. 

“Big Red.” A small, scrawny kid with fiery hair spoke up, grinning at the girl who’d guided them back here, who now informed them her name was Ashlyn.

“My name’s Kourtney.” Kourtney had on some of the best makeup Buck had ever seen, bright eye shadow colors blended together with sharp winged eyeliner. Right away, he knew that this group of teenagers was more talented than most.

“E.J.” A tall teenager with dark hair spoke up. He pointed to the Mexican kid who was evidently not heeding Hen’s distraction activity. “That’s Carlos, who needs to calm down.”

“What do you mean calm down? Am I going to date you like this forever? What if they never get you out?” Carlos panicked, flapping his arms around Seb as the blond just stared up at him, sea-green eyes simply glazed over. “I only wanted a normal boyfriend, how does this happen to me?”

“Carlos, chill out for a second! Let them do their job, okay?” Ricky said, moving forward to pull the worried teen back a little so Chimney and Buck could start lubricating the sides of the tube. It reminded Buck of the call they’d had about the baby stuck in the pipes.

It turned out that the kid’s wrist was slightly twisted on the inside of the tube, which is why he’d gotten stuck in the first place; if they tugged him too hard, he would end up spraining, or even breaking it. The lube would just make it easier for them to pull him out but even then, they would probably have to turn his body at least a few degrees.

Eddie, surprisingly enough, was the one to try to comfort Carlos from freaking out over his boyfriend. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, alright? My boyfriend over there ends up in the hospital every three weeks because he’s a danger magnet, and he pulls through every single time.” Buck’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing at Eddie who looked far too pleased with himself. “At this point, he needs to stop paying hospital fees and start paying them rent.”

“Shut up, Eds.” Buck shook his head as light laughter echoed from the students, though he was glad they were now distracted.

Hen and Chimney started laughing at him, knowing Eddie was right. Even Bobby was laughing. It wasn’t Buck’s fault that injury literally searched for him. Buck made a wholly immature face at his boyfriend as Eddie continued. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him out.”

“If not dead from embarrassment,” Seb muttered under his breath, letting out a grimace as he wiggled a little. Buck couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Working in a live performance meant you had to shed a lot of inhibitions, and when things didn’t go right behind stage, it affected your performance on stage.

“What were you guys trying to perform?” Buck asked as he took off his now-slick gloves to don a fresh pair.

“We’re putting on a musical of Macbeth,” Carlos answered, finally having stopped vibrating with anxiety.

Buck got that though. Every time he watched Eddie walk into a minutely dangerous situation where even a pin could prick him, his heart felt like it was in his throat until he had his boyfriend back in his arms.

It just came with the territory.

Before Buck could respond to Carlos’ answer, Bobby started instructing them, which brought his focus back to the fact that they were here for a job.

“Buck, Hen, hold onto the tube tightly. Eddie, help me turn Seb just a little bit and Chimney, stabilize his neck.” 

A chorus of “copy that” echoed in the empty stage as they sprung into action. Buck and Hen gripped the sides of the tube. 

“Seb, I’m just going to stabilize your neck to make sure we don’t hurt you as we pull, okay?” Chimney said cautiously, wrapping the neck brace around him at Seb’s curt nod.

“Can you tell me which way your hand is twisted towards?” Bobby asked.

“Towards the left.” The teenager clearly tried to move it again, going by his grimace.

“Eddie, lift him slightly and rotate him a little to the right. On the count of three, we pull. Buck and Hen, make sure the plastic doesn’t come with him.” All four of them assumed their given position, bracing themselves for Bobby’s count. Chimney moved any students out of harm’s way.

“One...two...three!” Ten seconds and the teenager had finally gotten unstuck from the tube. He lay panting on the floor as Buck and Hen straightened the tube and moved it away from the kids now swarming him to make sure he’s okay.

It was heartwarming, Buck thought to himself, smiling at the obvious care. He remembered being part of a big theatre family.

“Thank you so much, I’m not sure what we would’ve done with another fiasco. The school probably would’ve fired me for sure this…” The teacher turned towards the five of them but her gaze fixed on Buck as her jaw dropped open. “No way, Evan Buckley?”

Briefly, panic clawed its way up Buck’s throat. Was this a woman from his Buck 1.0 phase that he somehow didn’t remember?

The nagging feeling as he narrowed his eyes told him that wasn’t the case. He knew this woman…

"Jennifer Reinders?” Buck couldn’t believe it; it was this call that he ran into someone he knew in high school, no less. He chuckled as the woman nodded, stepping past Eddie to greet her. She pulled him into a hug, laughing as she did so.

“This wasn’t how I thought we’d meet again. How have you been?” She squeezed his shoulder before stepping back, a large smile on her kind face.

Buck remembered Jenn being the bubbly girl of their grade, the one with a deep flair for theatrics.

“I-uh, it’s been good. You?”

“Yeah, same.” There was a little awkwardness in the air, probably from meeting after so long. As the two sort of just...stared at each other, an “ahem” from behind Jenn caught all of their attention. The high schoolers were staring at them with the patented teenager “what the hell” look on their faces.

A quick glance behind him proved that his team was doing the same thing, Chimney and Hen’s brows shot up high. Bobby’s brow was creased in confusion as he stared at Buck. Eddie, on the other hand, was looking between Jenn and him like there was a puzzle to be solved. 

His eyes were free of any distrust or accusation, but he also knew that Eddie had a possessive streak miles long. Discreetly, he caught his boyfriend’s eye and shook his head. Eddie relaxed somewhat as Buck looked back at the theatre kids.

“Oh! Sorry kids! This is Evan Buckley, we went to high school together.” Jenn clapped her hands excitedly as she looked at him. “He and I used to star as the lead roles in most of the school theatre productions, especially in high school.” Turning to him, she looked at his uniform. “I thought for sure that you would land that role on Broadway. How’d you come to become a firefighter?”

Before Buck could answer the question, there was a proclaimed squeak behind him. His team was staring wide-eyed as a flush spread up Buck’s face.

“Broadway?” Hen voiced all their thoughts. Chimney already had his phone out, likely to text Maddie and Josh all these details. Maddie would definitely be surprised, that’s for sure. She hadn’t known about the whole Broadway gig, and Buck was _not_ looking forward to her gushing about it.

“Yeah, Evan was a fantastic actor, more so on stage than in front of a camera. Many schools wanted him to attend their performing arts programs,” Jenn added. The teenagers looked awed as they stared up at him. Warmth burned through the tips of his ears and the back of his neck as he raised an absent hand to his nape.

“It didn’t happen, it was just a fleeting interest,” he muttered shyly, not knowing how to escape from all these eyes. Buck was now clearly uncomfortable with the attention, and thankfully, his captain intervened.

“Alright, I think it’s time for us to head back to the station, and for you all to continue rehearsal.” Bobby’s words, in normal situations, would’ve left no room for argument. This, though, was not a normal situation.

“What was the best production you two starred in?” E.J. asked curiously as they turned to leave.

Buck couldn’t resist answering him. He laughed at the question, the tight grip in his chest easing a little bit. “It was, ironically enough, Macbeth. I played Macbeth and Jenn was Lady Macbeth. That show ended up selling out for weeks, and by the end of it, the entire cast and crew was ready to drop dead with exhaustion.”

Jenn squealed a little at the memory. “I remember that! We’d done nearly 20 shows of that same production, and got a lot of money for our program too!”

That show had lasted five weeks with four shows a week, and had raked in a lot of revenue. They’d even won a few awards for the show. It had been a long time preparing for such a huge project. The word about the play had spread to the towns nearby too, and in the small-town scarcity of television, people came far and wide to see it. He probably still had a recording of it somewhere.

He only regretted sharing that detail when all nine faces lit up, seemingly with the same idea. “You can help us!” Big Red burst out excitedly, exchanging cheerful agreements with the rest of the cast.

Buck briefly mused that if the rest of the 118 wasn’t here, he would’ve absolutely jumped at the opportunity. He missed theatre, missed the anticipatory energy thrumming under his skin as he molded himself into another character. Missed being out of his head, into another character’s world.

Not that he would trade his job now. He loved being a firefighter, and he’d known in his heart back in high school that he wasn’t going to act in plays and theatrical productions for the rest of his life. It’d been one of his more passionate hobbies. By default, everyone seemed to have assumed that he would’ve chosen it as his career.

“Please, Evan? We really could use the help,” Jenn requested. The rest of the kids made puppy dog eyes at him, just like Christopher did when Eddie’s back was turned.

He looked at Bobby who shrugged as a small smile played at his lips. That was as good of an invitation as any. Chimney already had his phone up and ready to record this.

“Okay. Just for a little while,” Buck warned them as cheers resonated in the abandoned space. He set the bag he was carrying down near the front row where the other four firefighters had taken a seat, all four watching him doe-eyed.

This, he could do. This was his turf, even if he hadn’t played on it for nearly a decade.

Hen let out a low whistle. “Every time I think we know everything about you, Buck, you surprise us with something else.”

Buck smiled at her as he unbuttoned his cuff and rolled the sleeve up. “Got to keep you guys on your toes somehow.”

"But what about me? How come I didn’t know about this?” Eddie honest-to-God _whined_ while watching Buck roll the other sleeve up to his elbow. Buck snorted at him.

“You don’t get preferential treatment because we’re dating, Diaz.” Bobby and Chimney laughed as Hen nudged Eddie with her elbow.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Diaz?” his boyfriend glared at him. Buck waved him off as he braced a hand on the waist-high stage and hopped on in a fluid, familiar movement.

“What are we looking at?” He approached the group who was now looking between him and Eddie with more awestruck eyes.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Carlos asked, eyes wide as he took Eddie’s form. The older man waved at them, anticipation clear on his face. “You guys work together?”

“You’re the one that pays rent at the hospital?” Ricky’s question was innocent, but it sent the four firefighters into peals of laughter. Buck rolled his eyes.

“I don’t pay rent at the hospital, and yes, Eddie’s my boyfriend. Soon to be ex if he keeps that up.” Buck glared heatlessly at him, both of them knowing he didn’t mean it. Given Eddie’s shit-eating grin, he was fooling absolutely no one.

“You love me, Buckley.”

Buck suppressed a smile and shook his head, not about to play this game with nine teenagers gawking at them like hawks. 

Ashlyn passed him her script. Immediately, his mind went back to ‘theatre mode’ from a decade ago as he scanned the pages.

“Wasn’t _Macbeth The Musical_ a comedy?” he asked Jenn as she leaned over his shoulder to peer at the dialogues. 

“Yeah, it was. We’re not doing that.” She waved in the signature flighty way of hers. It was funny how he remembered her doing the exact same thing in high school. “We’re putting on the original Macbeth, but we’ve added musical numbers that fit each scene of the five acts.” Buck’s eyebrows shot up, impressed. Macbeth wasn’t easy to turn into a musical, known for its themes of ambition, loyalty, guilt, appearances. It wasn’t your regular cup of _Beauty and the Beast_ , that’s for sure.

“I’m playing Lady Macbeth, and Seb is playing Macbeth,” Ashlyn told him. “We’re stuck on how to perform one of the scenes.”

“Which one?”

“Act 1, Scene 5.” 

Buck passed the script back, knowing it by heart. “Ah, I see what you mean. That was one of our harder scenes too because it’s such a pivotal moment in the play. It’s where things get set into motion.”

“Would you be willing to perform it for us? So we could see how it should be done?” Gina asked, hope glinting in her eye. She was definitely a theatre enthusiast, Buck decided. He could respect that passion.

“I'm not sure about how it _should_ be done, but Jenn?” Buck asked instead. He was fully prepared with this script, even with ten years of neglecting performing on stage under his belt. She grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, actually. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. This is perfect!” There was that excited clap again.

The years definitely hadn’t dimmed her bubbly nature, and Buck was glad to see it. He remembered how many people in high school hadn’t taken her seriously because of her optimism, but seeing her in her element among these teenagers proved that she had a voice. He could respect that; that’s how it’d been with him, up until the 118.

“Miss Jenn, will you need any props?” Kourtney asked, glancing around the abandoned theatre to the two adults looking trepidatiously at her. “Yeah, never mind that.”

Ricky laughed as he slung an arm over shoulder, the two of them walking away amidst cheerful conversation. One by one, the rest of the cast disappeared as well, leaving their teacher standing with the firefighter.

“Where do you want to start? Do you need a few moments with the script?”

“No, I’m good. Let’s start where the servant leaves, at Lady Macbeth’s monologue.”

Buck winked at his team as he walked backstage. All four of them were staring at him on stage with their mouths dropped open. Somehow, seeing them look impressed by _him_ nonetheless set off a prideful flare in his chest. 

At the back of his mind, he knew they had to get back to the station at some point, but he was willing to push this as much as he could.

Big Red dimmed the lights to focus a single spotlight on Jenn standing a little towards the right of center stage as all sound ceased.

Her voice reverberated clear as day, as she began her performance. “The raven himself is hoarse, that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.”

As her monologue continued, Buck faintly mused how much she’d grown as an actor. She’d settled into her skin a lot more, and while she’d been amazing back then, she was phenomenal now. Her voice was fluid, rising and falling with each dip of Lady Macbeth’s emotions. Pride layered with evil ambition darkened her tone as she knelt down, head thrown back towards the sky in a clear incantation.

“Make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage to remorse,” she crooned to the ceiling, a sinister tone adding to the plethora of dark color. Buck glanced in the direction where half the students were waiting across from him. They all looked surprised to see their drama teacher like this.

“We’ve never seen her perform before,” Nini whispered. “We put on _High School Musical_ as a musical, we did _Beauty and the Beast_ last month but we haven’t actually seen her enact a scene for us before.”

“She’s incredible,” Buck whispered back. She’d been the only student from their theatre group to star as an extra in one of the original _High School Musical_ movies. Buck didn’t know what happened to that, or how she ended up teaching drama instead of performing it, but he did know that she was beyond talented.

“Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry ‘Hold, hold!’” That was Buck’s cue. He took a deep breath before blocking everything else out and focusing on _being_ Macbeth.

His steps were slow and soft as he came out on stage, entering almost as an agile predator. Jenn looked up at him and smiled candidly as he came towards her, recognizing his ‘theatre look.’

“Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter,” As Jenn spoke the words, Buck circled her kneeling form, lifting a hand towards her jaw. One finger under her jaw urged her to rise in front of him.

“My dearest love, Duncan comes here tonight,” Buck spoke the words in an English accent, because his Scottish accent was horrible. If the sharp intake of breath from the audience was anything to go by, clearly they were very taken aback by another one of Buck’s hidden talents.

This scene in the play was to be quite sensual, usually sealed with a welcome kiss as Lady Macbeth used her seductive allure to influence her husband’s ambitions. Obviously, with all these teenagers eyeballing them and his boyfriend sitting in the crowd, it wasn’t the best idea.

Either way, he wasn’t Buck right now. He was simply Macbeth.

Jenn and him continued the dialogue, her reaching out for his face after a silent question to continue her monologue.

“Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under ’t.” Buck pulled away from her to turn towards the other side, keeping his side to the audience as he crossed his arms behind his back.

“We will speak further.” 

As Jenn ended the scene, thunderous applause bounced off the walls. Buck smiled almost shyly as he looked back at Jenn.

“You used to do that back then too,” she giggled. Buck looked down at his hands which he’d absentmindedly been wringing, as if shedding the character off. Jenn was right, of course. Somehow, he’d fallen intrinsically right back into his old theatre habits.

Eddie was staring at him like he’d hung the stars in the sky as he clapped loudly. Hen and Chim whistled while Bobby was grinning widely.

“That was amazing!” Seb fawned, flipping through his script to show him a scene highlighted in bright pink and adorned with blue ink stars. “Can you do the dagger scene, if you still have time? I’m still stuck on how to portray this scene.”

Buck looked at Bobby who nodded. It was weird that they still had the time, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“To perform the dagger scene, I had to go in-depth into what the scene meant in the play. That’s a rule of thumb, by the way. Think about the interpretation in as many angles as you possibly can, so when you perform it, the emotions come out just the same,” Buck advised, exchanging a familiar look with Jenn. Their drama teacher had taught them that.

“So this scene comes right after Macbeth decides to murder King Duncan, after his conversation with Banquo. The significance of the scene really comes from Macbeth’s intentions, and his ambition to kill Duncan. The hallucination of the dagger basically seals the crime in; he’s going to do it. He’s going to commit the murder.”

“When he reaches out for the dagger, he’s basically reaching for his ambition to become king. The blade’s handle points towards him as if it’s meant to be in his hand. There are spots of blood on the blade as well, for the murder he’s about to commit. His hallucination leads him towards Duncan’s room, even as he swings between guilt and hesitation.”

“If you were my English teacher, I’d be passing with flying colors,” Gina commented, raptly listening to him talk. Buck laughed and shook his head.

“No, I assure you, you would not.”

“Yeah we would!” Chim called out. “I hated Macbeth when we read it in high school, but damn Buckaroo, your thirty second explanation is really doing it for me.” 

“They did Macbeth when you were in school too?” E.J. looked surprised as he looked down at a worn copy of the original script. The other four firefighters’ bark of laughter bounced off the walls at Chimney’s offended look. E.J. went to backtrack his words, a red flush crawling up his neck at the unintended context of his sentence.

“Well, yeah, I wasn’t born a thousand years ago.” Hen was howling with bright laughter while Bobby clapped him on the back. The poor teenager went to apologize but Chim shook his head good-naturedly at him. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I know that’s not what you meant.”

“The scene sort of takes us into where Macbeth’s mental state swings between hallucinations to psychotic disturbance, so as the soliloquy goes on, your performance would become more haggard, more frantic,” Buck added. “Then once the bell rings, which is symbolic of Lady Macbeth pushing her husband into the deed since she’s the one who rang the bell, we see Macbeth steel himself and off-stage, he murders Duncan.”

“Will you show us?”

“Sure. Can I get a dagger?” 

Kourtney passed him one of their plastic props, which Buck sheathed temporarily in his belt. “How should we do the dagger that hallucinates?”

“That’s up to you and what resources you have, but if you have someone playing Hecate, you could tie strings to the handle and blade of the dagger, and have Hecate spin it between her hands. It’ll be a layered symbolism; there’s the mental disturbance from the hallucination and the witchcraft,” Buck suggested, a quick idea coming to mind.

Briefly, Buck wondered if he’d taken over teaching Jenn’s class and accidentally overstepped in his excitement. A quick glance at her proved that she was taking a minute to step back and recollect herself from the prop malfunction.

“Alright.” Carlos was clearly back in his element as he clapped twice to get everyone’s attention. “Everyone, off stage. Take a seat down with the rest of the firefighters and Seb, dear, pay attention to this.” A fond tone crept into his drill-sergeant voice as he addressed his boyfriend. “Mr. Buckley, the floor’s all yours!”

Buck was highly amused at Carlos’ antics as he shook his head and told the students to call him Buck. Titters behind him told him that Hen and Chimney were having the time of their lives, because no one had ever addressed _him_ that formally before.

As the stage cleared, Buck closed his eyes and let the character wash over him. When he reopened them, he saw that Big Red had adjusted whatever lights he could, so now, the lights around him were dimmed. A sole spotlight focused on him. 

He couldn’t see anyone in the audience, which was probably for the best. There was the familiar, forgotten burn of the spotlight in his eyes as he cocked his head and stared at a fixed spot, pretending that’s where the dagger was.

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee,” he started out, reaching forth blindly. A thrill went through him at the sound of his voice, molded to an English accent, resonating off the walls of the theatre.

For a quick moment, he imagined that it wasn’t just the first two rows, but the entire theatre full of people as an eighteen-year-old Evan Buckley performed Macbeth for the first time to a sold-out auditorium. 

He’d been anxious then, and he was anxious now, but just like he had back then, Buck swallowed the impending anxiety and focused on the lines. 

“I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable as this which now I draw.” Buck drew the plastic dagger at his waist as he let subtle confusion take hold of his tone. The words were lilting with the onset of Macbeth’s hysteria as Buck paced across the stage in soft footsteps, folding his form to become more cautious of something only he could see.

“Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going, and such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses, or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before.” Buck frowned at the dagger in his hand, running a finger alone the plastic edge as he spoke to his hands.

As he continued the monologue, he was aware of a few cameras pointed in his direction, one of which obviously belonged to Chimney. He could feel Eddie’s familiar gaze through his uniform, and knowing that he’d impressed the man who impressed _him_ on a daily basis? Nothing could outshine that feeling; not for him.

He settled further into the character as he “sheathed” the dagger and spoke to the ground, his words now raised in volume and slightly slurring together with how fast he had been speaking. Now, as the monologue came to an end, he forced his voice to slow its pace. “Thou sure and firm-set earth, hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear thy very stones prate of my whereabout.”

As if to emphasize the point, Buck started walking from his position forwards, his steps echoing. “Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.”

It was still his favourite line of this monologue. In context, Macbeth was talking about how his words were stalling him from gathering courage to kill Duncan. But Buck had interpreted to be that talking too much would only cool any courage built up to do anything. 

That’s why he jumped right into things sometimes, even though he shouldn’t. Not as someone who was supposed to save lives, not take his own alongside it. Nevertheless, the philosophy had helped him; if he thought too much about what he was going to do, he’d chicken out. He needed to have the ability to think about the job once, twice, but to do it as seamlessly as possible.

On cue, a bell rang, slightly starling Buck. He didn’t think they had the soundtrack set up, and judging the hushed whispers through the audience, they didn’t know either. 

Buck shook aside the scare and completed the dialogue, walking backwards diagonally as if following the dagger’s ghost. “I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.”

In the play, it was supposed to be Duncan’s room. For the sake of time, Buck continued walking backwards to backstage as the last words of the monologue tapered off into a promise.

A heartbeat of silence, a flash of the lights flipping on and suddenly, the stage was vibrating with the teenagers running up the stairs to gush over the scene between bouts of clapping and whistling.

Buck laughed awkwardly and ducked his head as he shook his hands off again, this time wholly conscious of the movement.

“I can’t top that. There’s no way,” Seb said, grinning all the way. Buck shook his head at him, digging his hands into his pockets.

“Look, what you guys need to remember is that...this is _your_ musical. When you walk out on that stage, you’re a new version of Macbeth. You’re not playing the characters exactly as Shakespeare had originally written them. Only the words are his. Don’t be afraid to shake things up a bit.”

“I think we really needed to hear that,” Gina admitted. “We’ve been so stressed about making this play so-called perfect, that we forgot to put our spin on things.”

“Thank you so much, Evan.” Jenn came up to him, a bright smile on her face. “It was literally a flashback to ten years ago.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t think I still had it in me,” Buck chuckled, passing E.J. the plastic dagger.

“That’s what old people say when they _know_ they’re good at something,” Chimney shouted, his phone still recording the entire scene.

“You’d know, old man!” Buck retorted right back. 

“Will you come back to help?” Ricky asked, brushing curly hair away from his forehead. Buck’s smile faltered, unsure about it.

“If you help us, we’re sure to win the competition, Buck!” Ashlyn added.

“Isn’t that cheating?” He was skeptical; he didn’t want this group of insanely talented people to be disqualified for something that would, in effect, be his fault.

“No, it’s not,” Jenn supplied. “Three other high schools have gotten real actors from huge theatre productions to come help them.”

“Between you and Miss Jenn, we’ve got the best damn drama mentors this country has ever known!” Kourtney said on a drawl, tapping her pen on her temple knowingly.

“Guys, he’s still working. Give the man space to breathe.” Jenn inserted herself between Buck and her students, shooing them away. “Move back, and let’s keep rehearsing. Seb and Ashlyn, find a corner and rehearse the first act. Ricky, Kourtney and Nini, work on the lyrics to the soundtracks. E.J. and Big Red, see if you can help them compose a tune that fits each act. Carlos, I need you to choreograph what each scene and sequence is going to look like.”

“Got it.” That was all it took and all the kids dispersed, throwing him pleading looks as they went. Over Jenn’s shoulder, he could see Bobby gesturing to him.

“Look, hey, I’ve got to go, but if it’s not overstepping for you, I’d love to come help them.”

“You come see these every year, don’t you?” Buck blinked at her all-knowing grin.

“I try to go to the open theatre productions, and the competitions between LA drama teams. This is the first time we’ve had a competition like this hosted in LA, so...yeah, you could say I do. How’d you know?” 

“I remember theatre-obsessed Evan. You wouldn’t miss these for the world, firefighter or not.” She handed him a sticky note. “Here, write your number on there, and I’ll text you the details. The competition isn’t until three weeks from now, and I know your schedule might not work, but anything you can give us would help.”

“These kids are honestly so talented. They’re going to do amazing, with or without anyone’s help.” Buck smiled and passed the sticky note back. Jenn laughed.

“They will. It was great seeing you again. Thank you for your help today!”

“It’s nothing! Let me know and I’ll try to make it work.” Buck bid goodbye to the students as he picked up his bag.

“That was amazing,” Hen said immediately. “What other talents are you hiding in that head of yours?”

Buck laughed. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Following Eddie out, he looked back one last time at the hustle and bustle of preparing for a production. 

Eddie stopped right outside the exit of the theatre, just for Buck to run straight into him. Buck let out a squeak of surprise as Eddie kissed him suddenly.

“That accent…” Eddie trailed off, brushing a finger on the nape of Buck’s neck. Buck grinned.

“Just like when you speak Spanish?” He purposely used the accent again. Eddie speaking Spanish, even though he couldn't do it very well, was the hottest thing Buck had ever heard in his life.

In answer, Eddie held up his phone, which showed Buck walking across stage. Immediately, Buck could see the holes in his performance. As if knowing what he was thinking, Eddie rolled his eyes and locked the phone again.

“Definitely hotter.” His boyfriend backed away as the two began walking back. “Hey, I have something from English class to tell you.”

“What?”

Eddie cleared his throat before doing an over-exaggerated impression of what Buck assumed was supposed to be a theatre actor. “Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doesn’t move, doubt that the truth is a lie, but never doubt that I love you.”

Buck started laughing so hard he had to bend down to relieve the stitch in his side from the stark amusement and dramatics in Eddie’s voice. “That’s Hamlet, jackass. And that’s not how the dialogue went anyway.”

His boyfriend scoffed, crossing his arms as he glared at Buck. “Not all of us are theatre nerds. I just told you I love you from a play I absolutely _loathed_ in high school and this is what you have to say to me?”

He shook his head at Eddie’s antics, more befitting for Christopher’s age than his own. Instead, he repeated the actual words using his English accent. Buck’s voice was soft as he looked at Eddie, warmth blazing through his chest. “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.”

“See? Was that so hard?” Eddie harrumphed before climbing in the trunk. Buck laughed and looked back at the abandoned building standing tall against the azure LA sky. It was an untimely metaphor for something Buck wasn’t sure he wanted to look into.

A glance at the window showed that Ashlyn and Seb were now rehearsing their parts. Seb must’ve fumbled over a line because there was a clear look of frustration on his face. From what Buck had garnered, this was his first lead role. 

He smiled as he got in the truck, the image of Ashlyn gently encouraging Seb in his mind.

The kids didn’t know it, but they’d given him a part of himself back today.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! How was it? 
> 
> I may be inclined to write a part 2 for this fic, depending on how this one is received. 
> 
> Readers, kudos and comments have gone down exponentially during the hiatus (counter-intuitive, i know) and it's so hard to stay motivated to write/publish anything! Please appreciate all the lovely fic writers who take the time to publish their work for everyone!
> 
> Leave me Kudos and Comments! <3
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [zeethebooknerd](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zeethebooknerd) or on Twitter at [tkreyesevandiaz](https://twitter.com/tkreyesevandiaz).


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